The Frank Stella You Thought You Knew

Frank Stella’s artwork drew widespread attention from the dawn of his career at age 23. In 1959, the Museum of Modern Art labeled him an iconoclast and included his series of Black Paintings in its 16 Americans exhibition. This show was seen as having defined an artistic movement. 

Beyond Abstract Expressionism

Frank Stella was initially influenced by Abstract Expressionism but found innovative ways to move beyond it. In his long life, he was a trailblazer in several artistic movements, such as Minimalism, Color Field Painting, Post-Painterly Abstraction, and Maximalism. His art ranged from painting, sculpture, and printmaking to architecture and digital creations. 

Stella’s Minimalism

In 1958–1959, Frank Stella produced his Black Paintings using aspects of the house painting he and his father had done together. This early series was his way of showing a painting just as it was—and nothing more. He had been influenced by abstract expressionists like Franz Kline and Jackson Pollock but overthrew the movement’s highbrow aesthetics. 

Stella famously said, “What you see is what you see.” This underscored his focus on the painting as an object in itself rather than a representation of something else. The artist had defined the concept of picture-as-object for contemporary art. Stella’s series of Black Paintings used actual commercial enamel housepaint and brushes. Black stripes were separated by white lines of the canvas showing through.

These works were pivotal in developing Minimalism. Abstract Expressionism’s expressive brushwork and emotional content were ejected. Stella influenced artists such as Carl Andre, Sol DeWitt, and Don Flavin and inspired architects like Frank Gehry and Daniel Libeskind. 

Shaped Canvases and Geometric Abstraction

Frank Stella moved away from the traditional rectangular canvas to shaped canvases in his Protractor series in the late 1960s. This series echoed the geometry tool used to create the curved shapes of these large-scale paintings. It demonstrated his interest in the interplay between color, form, and space.

Most famously, Stella’s Harran II painting utilized bright colors and circular motifs. It reflected his shift toward more complex compositions. This work was as sizable as an entire room and showcased Stella as the first contemporary artist to use shaped canvases.

Expanding on the shaped canvas, Frank Stella moved to chevrons and irregular canvases. He used metallic paint and other media to further emphasize the painting as an “object.”

Stella’s Empress of India comprises four colored chevron-shaped canvases. The artist played on perception by using metallic brown and ochre colors to push and pull the composition while maintaining equilibrium.

Stella’s Transition to Three-Dimensionality

During the 1970s and 1980s, Stella’s work became increasingly three-dimensional. His “Polish Village” series (1970–1974) and the “Exotic Birds” series (1976–1980) incorporated relief elements that blurred the line between painting and sculpture. He began using materials such as aluminum, fiberglass, and cardboard to create works projecting from the wall into the viewer’s space.

Stella never called these works sculptures, however. Due to their sculpture-like qualities, he referred to them as his “maximalist” paintings. Whereas his earlier Black Paintings emphasized flatness and no illusion, these works gave the feeling of shapes jutting out into the viewer’s face. This marked a transition from Minimalism to Post-Painterly Abstraction.

Stella’s Maximalism

In the late 1980s and 1990s, Stella’s work became even more elaborate and sculptural. His “Moby-Dick” series (1985–1997), inspired by Herman Melville’s novel, features large, multi-layered constructions with intricate shapes and vivid colors. These works are often described as “maximalist” due to their complexity and abundance of detail.

Frank Stella’s work in the 1980s was characterized by an extension of two-dimensional painting into his version of “baroque space.” This process eventually resulted in fully three-dimensional sculptural forms derived from decorative architectural elements. Stella and his assistants generated these works from scale models using digital technology and industrial metal cutters.

Stella’s Later Work

Stella was a ceaseless explorer who did not worry about the public’s response to his work. His first loyalty was to his roving mind, limitless energy, and strong work ethic. In his eighth decade, he exhibited an impressive group of free-standing sculptures at Jeffrey Deitch’s Soho Gallery in New York City. These monumental sculptures fuse painting and sculpture in a way that has never been achieved before.

Frank Stella’s recent exhibition was a showcase of grandeur, featuring works from two series: “Scarlatti Sonata Kirkpatrick” (2014) and “Atlantic Salmon Rivers” (2021–2023). The colossal sculptures, seemingly weightless, are a sight to behold. Crafted from shimmering polychromatic bands that twist and turn through space, they mark the culmination of a lifelong quest to merge painting and sculpture. 

Stella’s Legacy and Influence

Frank Stella received numerous accolades, including the National Medal of Arts and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center. His influence extends beyond painting to architecture and design. Major museums worldwide hold collections of Stella’s work, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Tate Modern in London.

Throughout his more than 60-year career, Stella repeatedly broke the rules he had set for himself. From two-dimensional black paintings to three-dimensional, elaborate walk-around productions, he constantly reinvented through his work. His Black Star sculptures seem to represent the full culmination of this.

Frank Stella’s artistic output was so vast that this article alone cannot fully capture its breadth and depth. Stay tuned for future articles that will delve deeper into Stella’s work, inviting you to explore and appreciate his artistic legacy!